HOW ARE WE TO LIVE?

Colossians 3:12-17 New Living Translation

“12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

       In these six verses Paul outlines a way for us to live for God each day.  First of all, we are to imitate Christ’s compassionate, forgiving attitude (vv.12-13). Secondly, we are to let the love of God within us be our guide in all situations (v.14). Next, we are to let the peace of Christ rule our hearts and by extension our lives (v.15). In addition, we should always be thankful in all circumstances (v.15).  We must keep the word of God in us, feeding our spirit, at all times (v.16). Lastly, we should understand and live as Christ’s ambassador to this dying world (v.17).

       The heresy that had infiltrated the church at Colossae was one known as Gnosticism. The false teachers were propagating the thought that they had greater knowledge and therefore were closer to God and the real truth.  According to scripture those who deny that Christ is God’s Son are a liar (1 John 2:22).⁽¹⁾ That makes these men false teachers.  However, they were making small inroads into the congregation, so Paul was consulted.  Paul had never visited Colossae, however, some of his converts had started that church and he was always willing to offer correction and instruction. 

       Living for the Lord each day isn’t easy.  There are constantly tests of faith and trust going on.  But if we set our minds on emulating Christ with the purpose of acting and reacting to situations the way He would we will find it easier to accomplish this responsibility.  Living a life void of godly influences such as fellowship, studying the word of god and prayer, will take us down a very bumpy path, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  Submit your life to the Lord; giving thanks for all He has done for you and you will see the things of God open up right before your eyes.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

NOTE: “Colossians is a book of connections.  Writing from prison in Rome, Paul combatted the false teachings, which had infiltrated the Colossian church. The problem was “syncretism”, combining ideas from other philosophies and religions (such as paganism, strains of Judaism and Greek thought) with Christian truth. The resulting heresy later became known as ‘Gnosticism’, emphasizing special knowledge (gnosis in the Greek) and denying Christ as God and Savior. (The Life Application Study Bible, Tyndale House Publishing)

⁽¹⁾ 1 John 2:22 “And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.”